Month: September 2016

Book posts! Yay! Yay! I thought I’d combine two of my loves today by doing the Autumn Reading Tag. Without further ado, lets go!

1/ Are there any books you’re planning on reading over the autumn season?

I wrote a summer TBR on this blog, which funnily enough I barely followed, and did not end up completing. Because of this I decided not to do an autumn one and just read whatever I feel like at the time. However, I do have a few things I want to get to.

The first thing on my list is to finish East of Eden by John Steinbeck. I started this a few weeks ago, and it is a chunky, 800 page book and so is taking me a little while to get through. That being said, I absolutely adore it so far and so I’m hoping to finish this soon! It is quite a slow moving story, and so I only read in small bursts.

The second is the illustrated edition of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, which is released on the 4th of October. I own and have read the illustrated edition of Philosopher’s Stone, which was illustrated beautifully by Jim Kay, and so I am unbelievably excited for my preordered copy of the second book to arrive, and I will be binge reading this as soon as it falls into my lap!

The third and final book I want to read in autumn is Ali Smith’s newest book: Autumn. Fitting, right? When I went to the Edinburgh Book Festival (blog post about that can be found here) I met Ali Smith and got to hear her reading a chapter of Autumn; which is going to be part of a four part series of interlinked books on the four seasons. I am excited for this book as it makes reference to current events of 2016 which are extremely relevant to my life at the present time, including the European Union Brexit referendum. I can’t wait to read another Ali book!

2/ September brings back to school memories: what book did you most enjoy studying? And what were your favourite and least favourite school subjects?

September is still back to school month for me, as while you are reading this post I will be in a lecture at university, beginning the first semester of my third year as an undergrad! I love back to school season, as while I enjoy lazing about in summertime I love to learn and crave routine.

At school the only books I can remember studying in depth are The Great Gatsby and Romeo and Juliet, neither of which I overly enjoyed. So instead I will pick a book I read during my time at school which I remember well; To Kill a Mockingbird.

At school my favourite subjects to study were the social sciences; modern studies (a combination of politics, current events and sociology), psychology and philosophy. This is extremely fitting as my degree is an Applied Social Sciences degree, meaning I still study similar things, and I love it all.

I enjoyed school for the most part, however I loathed mathematics. This was in part because I just didn’t understand it and because I didn’t enjoy the class and teacher. Maths was never something I was great at

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3/ October means Halloween: do you enjoy scary books and films? If so what are some of your favourites?

Noooo! I am such a scaredy cat. I never watch horror movies and horror books make me extremely anxious, while reading is something I use to ease those feelings.4/ With November it’s time for bonfire night & firework displays. What’s the most exciting book you’ve read that really kept you gripped?

This is a hard question, for there are so many books that have done this for me. However, I would have to pick The Fisherman by Chigozie Obioma. This book was nominated for the Manbooker Prize last year, and while it was a strange, mysterious and sometimes uncomfortable read, I felt very gripped by this book and wanted to keep reading until I finished it.5/ What book is your favourite cosy comfort read?

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Any time, all the time. This is possibly my favourite book of all time, and I first originally read it in Autumn of 2013. I find this book reassuring and comforting, and I adore dipping in and out of it every once and a while.6/ Curled up with a good book, what is your hot drink of choice?

Tea! Absolutely no question. None. A strong cup of Yorkshire Gold tea, with a splash of milk in a big mug. I always make a cup of tea before I settle down to read at home. Books and tea are one of the greatest marriages of history.7/ Any plans you’re looking forward to over the next few months?

YES!

I’m excited to get back to university and to start working hard towards getting good grades. One of my internet friends is coming to visit me from Sweden and so we are taking a day trip to Edinburgh. I am hopefully going to have some fun plans for Halloween, although I have no idea what those will be yet. And in general, I plan to just enjoy every aspect of autumn before winter and Christmas come along.

SO, my last bout of regular blog posts occurred around the time I went to the Isle of Skye. I went to Skye with my close friend to stay for just under a week, and I can safely say I am now in love with the little island. For someone who was born and raised in Scotland and has lived here for my whole life, it is almost criminal I had not already been to this beautiful place.

Skye is full of mysterious landscapes and geographical phenomena, and in its entirety it encapsulates the true meaning of the word awesome. There is something about staring up at the magnificent mountains and driving past glistening lochs that make you realise how big the world is and how small we are in relation. I just found it absolutely beautiful.

I spent my time in Skye eating luxuriously, revelling in cold and windy weather (my favourite kind), driving by beautiful places and stopping in the middle of the road to let sheep pass me by.

Uig Bay

My trip to Skye came at a great time, as I was feeling very low and bogged down with a number of things and was in need of time to switch off. Skye was a breath of fresh air in that sense. I was able to ignore my phone and explore a new place and I felt truly happy the whole time I was there. I am desperate to get back to the beauty and peace of this little corner of Scotland.

I’d like to apologise for my lack of blog posts over the last month. There are a variety of reasons for this; I was away for a week on holiday, I’ve been ill, I haven’t been in the best mind set and ultimately I have not finished a book in a long while!

I have missed blogging the last few weeks, and so I am back with not just some book posts, but also some miscellaneous posts too. There most likely won’t be a book review this coming Sunday, as I have yet to finish a book still. However, the bookish content will manifest in other, exciting ways.